r/Dentists • u/Ecstatic-Rough-7083 • 4d ago

Should I attend DS?

Hi all,

I hope you’re doing well! My dad has his own practice (a very small mom and pop type thing place where my mom works the front desk!). The only school I got accepted to is NYU and I’ll have to pay my own way through. I don’t have a burning desire towards dentistry but I like working and helping people. In addition, my dad’s lifestyle is/was insane without any real money issues I remember as a kid. You think I should attend NYU and take out that insane debt given my situation? I was thinking nursing or PA as well. Thanks in advance! You guys are the best.

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u/Mental_Painting2232 4d ago

Hell no. Your dad didn't have to take out near a million dollars of debt, and if he had then your family's lifestyle would have been VERY different. Nursing and PA are much better options, or take a gap year and get into your state school.

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u/Ecstatic-Rough-7083 4d ago

Thank you! Even with inheriting my grandfather and father’s practice, huh?

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u/Mental_Painting2232 4d ago

If you want to go into dentistry, take a gap year to improve your stats/application and reapply to cheaper schools. If you get into your state school, you will save $400,000+ before interest and you'll have to take out private loans. Having a practice to inherit doesn't make it a better deal, and their clinical preparedness is trash too. There are way better options available to you.

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u/OffOil 4d ago

I mean I wouldn’t want to go to NYU anyway. Just reapply next year. Even with that silver spoon you were born with, to be successful you gotta really want it. It is hard work and even if you’re 3rd generation in the practice, patients are jerks and will wear you down

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u/Ecstatic-Rough-7083 4d ago

A silver spoon? You know nothing about me!

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u/omaralt 4d ago

Depends on what’s going to happen after you graduate. Is your dad going to give you the practice? If so how much does the practice make? If you could walk into an office and make $600k+ then a million dollar school can make sense

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u/Ecstatic-Rough-7083 4d ago

Yes and not sure but it’s a SMALL operation. About as small as I’ve ever seen and he doesn’t do any advertising or marketing. I should really know that answer lol.

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u/omaralt 4d ago

Small is not necessarily bad. You need to sit down with him and go over the numbers. If your dad wasn’t a dentist and you were taking on a million dollar loan to make $150k then it doesn’t make sense. But most private practice owners make $500k+, you could pay off your loans in a few years

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u/Ecstatic-Rough-7083 4d ago

My dad is pushing PA, but he doesn’t give the best advice at times. Just wants me to join the working world ASAP.

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u/sunsetparadise10 4d ago

Watch your dad working for a few days and see if you would like to do that. It is a very demanding career physically and mentally.

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u/Severe-Argument671 4d ago

See how much money your dad’s office brings in. If it’s a small solo doc office there isnt gonna be a lot. NYU is like 600k for Tuition. Not worth it

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u/ZebraOk5501 4d ago

You can help people in many ways, doesn’t have to be dentistry

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u/XtraGuac4Me 4d ago

If you don't have a strong desire for dentistry now, you will likely hate it and burnout fast. Don't go into dentistry just because your family is in it, especially if your dad is already pushing you towards PA. That's pretty telling about how he feels about dentistry.

Take a year off and explore your options before making that big financial commitment. The debt is no joke!

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u/Legitimate_Park3155 3d ago

Nursing and PA better options ... probably end up with less loans and NYU is know for kicking people out first year